Can Providing Free Strips to Self-Monitor Type 2 Diabetes Improve Control?

Adults with Type 2 diabetes, excluding those with private insurance or using insulin, were recruited through community pharmacies and randomized to receive free testing strips for 6 months or not; all patients received similar baseline education and a glucose meter. Primary outcome was change in HbA1c over 6 months.

We randomized 262 patients (131 intervention and 131 control subjects). Mean age was 68.4 years (SD 10.9), 48% were male, mean duration of diabetes was 8.2 years (SD 7.2), 97% used oral glucose-lowering agents and mean baseline HbA1c was 7.4% (SD 1.2). After 6 months, we observed no difference in HbA1c between intervention and control patients, after adjusting for baseline HbA1c [adjusted difference 0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.16, 0.22; P = 0.78]. A per protocol analysis of study completers (152/262; 60%) yielded similar results. Intervention patients reported testing 0.64 days per week more often than control subjects (95% CI 0.18, 1.10; P = 0.007), although testing was not associated with better glycemic control (Pearson r = -0.10, P = 0.12).

From the results it was concluded that reducing financial barriers by providing free testing strips did not improve glycemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes not using insulin. Our results question the value of policies that reduce financial barriers to testing supplies in this population.
Diabet. Med. 23, 1247–1251 (2006)

===========================

Advertisement
Do you have patients in pain? Over 4,800 Anodyne Therapy Care Providers are increasing circulation and reducing pain for thousands of patients per month. To find out how you can help your patients get back to life, click here.
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/annodyne/anodyne10_31_01.php